Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Run or Dye

I am an avid supporter of running. I don't necessarily always love it, nor am I as good at it as my dad or other fanatics, but I do think a jog is a wonderful thing. Add colors of the rainbow to a 5k and I am all in. I've participated in The Color Run in Tulsa twice so when I heard about the Run or Dye race in Oklahoma City on September 28th I signed up immediately.The long-awaited day arrived, and with it came rainstorms of downpour proportions. The 7 AM Run or Dye check-in quickly turned into a Swim or Dye with several drenched, white t-shirt contest participants.I held out hope for the "rain or shine" start that Run or Dye advertised and so Megan and I were there, laced and ready to run. As we eyed the other runners taking refuge in their car, we scrolled through the Facebook updates, desperate for some news, be it yay or nay.Oklahoma residents are not strangers to inclement weather. We are aware of the split-second changes and often have "a little rain never hurt anybody" mindset. However, a lot of rain recently did hurt many not too long ago in May. The Run or Dye organization could have been more sensitive to the recent damage in Moore and kept their runners safe from slippery traffic by making definitive decisions early and often. However, hindsight is 20/20. While the officials remained in limbo, Megan and I made a dash from the massive parking lot to the starting line, just in case they were going to start the race on time as planned. It was a ghost town. We veered to the closest shelter we could find: a portable toilet cluster. We were proud residents of Portapotty Hollow and I can safely say this was the first time either of us had ever WANTED to be in one of those grimy cubicles. But we made the best of a crappy (literally) situation and had ourselves a portaPARTY (Megan's pun, I would never ;))! We quickly set our sights on the resident mansion, the FAMILY sized square. Can you imagine the possibilities?! SO MUCH ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES! Sadly, the refugees in that location stubbornly held onto their prize and as the neighborhood was quickly besieged by people who actually had to use the restroom, we found ourselves lucky to even have a portapotty to ourselves. We held our breaths, closed the door, and held it tight against those clamoring to get in. Eventually, Run or Dye announced an official postponed starting time, but it conflicted with my work schedule, so we dejectedly left the premises, decidedly wetter, but without a speck of color in sight. I was even more disappointed since I had to miss the OKC Color Run with Megan and Tracy on Saturday, October 4th because of another work conflict. A Very Lucky Girl needs more color in her exercise!